October can’t come soon enough for two Guild members.
Perth agricultural photographer Craig Stephen and Farmers Guardian’s livestock specialist Katie Fallon are both heading for Kenya, after impressing the trustees of the Joe Watson Legacy Fund with their applications for IFAJ Congress bursaries.
Craig Stephen, Perth agricultural photographer
“I am over the moon about this,” says Craig. “There aren’t tons of us ag photographers and, although I travel throughout the UK for work, I’ve never had the opportunity to practise my skills in a country like Kenya.
“Receiving the news while on a murky boat journey to a salmon farm on the west coast of Scotland, I think my excitement caused genuine concern with the crew – even more so when my mind drifted to thinking of Joe holding court in the Royal Highland press room and caused me to laugh out loud!
“I fondly remember Joe’s retelling of Congresses back in the day. I’m truly delighted to be attending a Congress as a delegate myself, in his memory.”
Craig hopes to make his photographs taken at Congress, and on the field tours that it includes, available to other delegates. “I’d also like to collaborate with a writer on creating some pretty special output.”
Katie, meanwhile, says going to Congress will be ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’.
“It’s an honour to receive this bursary in memory of Joe Watson,” she says. “It’s going to give me an amazing opportunity to understand a new and different agricultural industry, and to share my experiences with readers here in the UK.
“In a world where agriculture is constantly challenged, travelling to a country with a different climate and different growing conditions gives us the chance to uncover different ideas and potential solutions for UK farming.
Katie Fallon, Farmers Guardian’s livestock specialist
Katie recalls hearing FG’s past editor, Ben Briggs, talk about his own IFAJ Congress experience. “I was excited that these opportunities existed. It became one of my ambitions to attend IFAJ Congress at some point in my career.”
She says she is keen to benefit from the personal skill-building that Congress offers. “From meeting other agricultural journalists to the farm tours and other experiences, I want to absorb and observe the knowledge, skill and experience around me, to improve and grow as an agricultural journalist as I build my career.”
The Legacy Fund’s chairman Adrian Bell said he and fellow trustees Louise Impey and Julie Mate had a difficult task to select two winners from a strong field of entries.
“It says a lot for the enthusiasm of our British Guild members, and the high standards the Guild promotes, that the quality of this year’s entries was universally high.
“Joe would have been delighted not only with their breadth and quality, but also the vitality for participation in an event, and movement, he held so close to his heart.
“I’m delighted to see Craig and Katie’s enthusiasm and excitement bubbling over at news of their selection, and look forward to seeing them experience the thrill and energy of Congress in Kenya in October.”
Craig and Katie will join Ben Eagle, one of this year’s Alltech Young Leaders, and some half a dozen other BGAJ members at Congress. Overall, 200 delegates are expected from IFAJ’s 60 member countries. Registration is open at: https://ifaj2025.meshascience.org/
